Improved gold washer and amalgamator



- UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

MELLEN BATTEL, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED GOLD WASHER AND AMALGAMATOPL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,268, dated January 6, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MELLEN BATTEL, of the city and county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful improved mode of constructing concave plates for washing gold, or churning or scouring grain, or agitating any other substances and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section showing the concave plates and pins and rim of the sta tionary concave plates, forming a recess for the revolving plate, as shown, S and T. Fig.

2 is ay horizontal section of the same, showing the arms of the rake and gear, and rim of the stationary concave plate and cirrular rims, as shown at O, to c'entripetal.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in each figure.

My invention consists in the mode of construc-tin g two or more concave plates with .points or pins passing between each other. One or two or more' of these plates are stationary, and one or two or more revolve. These revolving plates are hun g upon a vertical shaft on the under side of the stationary plates, and as the material to be agitated or scoured falls onto the revolving concave plate it is thrown out by the centrifugal force, and falls on the next stationary plate, and slides or is forced down to the next revolving plate, and there thrown out by the centrifugal force and drops into the receptacle below, except the gold, which is retained in the vertical hollow shaft. These plates may be more or less concave, according to the velocity with which the material may be required to be thrown off.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the crank and shaft and gear when driven by hand.

B is the cross-bar, which holds up one end of the horizontal shaft a, and governs the upper end of the vertical hollow shaft G. On this hollow shaft hangs rake d and concave plate E and F. Vhen the dirt or earth and water is thrown upon the plate G, the rake d throws the same about, and the Vstones or large substance are thrown over at slide It, and the small particles and water fall down upon the concave plate H and slide down to the center of concave plate E, whereit is thrown out to the periphery and drops upon stationary plate I, and slides or is forced down to the center of concave plate F, well agitated. The gold, being heavier than the other particles, falls into the reservoir or hollow shaft filled with mercury to line J, and when the gold fills up the shaft to cause the mercury to flow over it is drawn out, gold and mercury, at screw K, and the mercury' is returned through pipe C by drawing out rod and plunger L. This plunger is kept in the shaft to cover the holes at M to prevent the dirt'or gravel from fallinginto thehollow shaft. When the dirt or gravel is thrown off, this plunger is withdrawn, and if any gold remains above plate E it'may be rinsed into holes M by throwing in water and revolving the plate which throws into vthe shaft. When the material requires to be thrown oli very rapidly, the pins or points N are omitted, as shown in space O.

p is the bridge-tree that holds up the revolving shaft and revolving plate and rake.

q is the rod and screw which raises or lowers the. bridge to throw the points in or out of gear, as required. In that case the upright f shaft should be driven by spur gear, or band and pulley.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The mode of constructing and using two or more concave plates with points or pins passing between each other. One or two or more of these plates are stationary, as shown, h and I, with rims forming the recess for the revolving plates, as shown, S and T, and one or two or more revolving plates are hung on a vertical shaft on the under side of the stationary plates, as shown, E and F, substantially as before described.

MELLEN BATTEL.

Witnesses HENRY N. WILKEs, ARTHUR KENNY. 

